Garden - Ponytail Palm

I have mine in the house, but I did cut it all the way back to the bulbs thinking it would sink or swim. It grew right out of it! So maybe a little TLC and your's can do the same.

Trim it back and wait to see if it picks up again.

sure can! Lop off the entire top, and a couple inches down at a time till you see green healthy trunk. Seal that open top with some wax to prevent pests from moving in. The trunk will sprout at least 2 new tops (I once got 4 new tops/ limbs from one " air layered" trunk). Just keep up your watering schedule and more the plant to a good sunny spot in Spring and begin a mild feeding schedule. They grow very slowly, and more or stronger feeding will only burn it up. Be patient.

Be careful what you wish for! LOL I live in Baker and I started with one the size of yours in 1981. It's now about 10 ft tall. Mine has lost the leaves on several occasions over the years because it stays outside year round. We now just lay it over on the ground and cover it with an old comforter and a tarp. This has worked well since the ground is always warmer than the air. We also keep it up next to the brick wall which absorbs heat during the day, especially on the south side. This helps keep it warmer at night due to the heat being put off.

I would suggest separating the plants before spring and repotting each palm into it's own pot. Those are pretty crowded and will break the pot. Don't ask me how I know!

As long as the bulbous part is still firm, and not prev frozen the plant could survive the rest of the winter. I have mine in the ground and it does fine in the So Florida winters.

(If you call 40, 50's winter) lol

keep inside,water lightly, and spring should bring new growth.

HELP!! I've had mine for many years & kept it indoors. Since last year, it began losing leaves & now it's a shadow of its former self. I don't know how much water it likes - in the past I just watered it about every two wks. I transplanted it into more sandy soil thinking that would help, but it didn't. Maybe that was a shock to it?? It's near a window for light....anyone have any recommendations?

this plant is a caudex, it stores water in the trunk, i would be careful watering it

i had one outisde that froze here in alabama and i kept cutting it down til i found green again

You guys are sure getting some nasty weather this winter in the FL panhandle. Hope you don't have too much plant damage.

Typically, especially when you've had many "freeze" days (in my area 2 freezing days in a row is a lot), I don't cut back my plants until after the danger has passed but before new sprouting begins.

I have a large ponytail palm in the ground at the corner of my house and it does quite well, even in winter. It is true that when you cut the plant, it will sprout multiple branches from the injured area. You can actually do that intentionally if you want a bushier look; just make a small cut.

Here's more info:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/ponytail-palm/ponytail-palm-care.htm

I had two small ponytails in the ground that froze and got mushy a few years back. After all possible freezes passed, I packed the mushy holes with spaghmum a bit of root tone. I now have a 9-tail and an 11-tail that are just beautiful. Good luck.